FORT COLLINS, Colo.—A Colorado doctor who pleaded no contest to charges of illegally prescribing an antidepressant to a student who later committed suicide says he and his wife have “seriously considered” taking their own lives amid the turmoil of the case.
Christian Hageseth III of Fort Collins told the Coloradoan newspaper and KUSA-TV in Denver that the case has taken a heavy toll on the couple’s emotions and finances.
Hageseth was working under a restricted license and wasn’t allowed to write prescriptions in Colorado when he prescribed a generic version of Prozac online to John McKay, 19, a student at Stanford University in California.
That was in August 2005. McKay committed suicide two months later.
His parents sued Hageseth and the online pharmacy, but the case was dismissed after experts said they couldn’t prove the drug caused the suicide.
Hageseth, 68, who is recovering from heart surgery, has been sentenced to nine months in jail to be served in Colorado.
Colorado authorities haven’t decided whether Hageseth will serve his sentence in jail or in work-release or some other program. Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said he wouldn’t put Hageseth in the county jail unless California officials pay the cost.
Hageseth said he still believes he did nothing to warrant criminal charges. He said he was writing prescriptions for an online pharmacy to make a living and to help millions of people who can’t see a doctor because they have inadequate health insurance or none at all.
He said he entered the no-contest plea because his legal bills were mounting and it seemed likely he would be convicted.
Hageseth’s wife, Laurel, said the criminal case, coupled with her husband’s heart surgery, has upended their lives.
“All my joy in life is gone,” she said.
“Each of us has seriously considered our own suicides,” Christian Hageseth said.
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Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan,
